Bottle-filling machine.



F. G. H. STRASBURGER.

BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 29, 1909.

Patentd May 5, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. G. H. STRASBURGER.

BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29,1909.

I Patented May 5, 19 14.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

n W 9 H \m f laziz iz P. G. H. STRASBURGER. BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1909. 1 ,95,240, 4 Patented May 5,1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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P. 0. H. STRASBURGER.

BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE. ARLIOATIOH FILED JULY 29,1909.

Patented May 5, 1914 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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FRAINK 0. H. STRASBURGER; OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNQR 1'0 BOTTLERS 'MAGHINERY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHI CAGU, ILLINOIS, GOR- PQRATION OF ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

BOTTLE-FILLING MACHINE.

racemes May 5, 1914.

Application filed July 29, 1909. Serial No. 516,256. I

in which a cam lift mechanism is employed for moving the bottles to and from filling position.

Heretofore it has been customary to pro vide a plurality of bottle rests mountedon stems which are operated by levers or similar devices traveling in engagement with cam, or cam track, and in some instances the stems have been arranged to travel directly in engagement with a cam track. In the machines of the prior art the parts of the lift mechanism which travel on the-cam or cam track have always operated in engagement therewith during the entire filling operation. The cam and cam track have been con-' structed to operatethe lift mechanism to raise the bottle from lowered position, in which the bottle is placed upon the bottle rest, to filling position and to hold it there duringthe entire filling operation and then to lower the bottle to discharge position. Immediately after the bottle is discharged an empty bottle is placed on the bottle rest. The lifting and lowering movements of the bottle are comparatively quick and in practice the bottle has been held in filling position approximately during three-quarters of the revolution of the machine, and all this time tlie cam or cam track has been employed to hold the bottle in filling position. This requires considerable power to operate the machine especially in large capacity machines which have from thirty to forty filling devices and bottle rests because. the work of the cam is not confined merely to raising and lowering the bottle rests but in far greater proportion to holding the bottles in place after they have been raised to filling position and during the filling operation.

The object of my invention is, primarily, to reduce the work required of the cam in a cam lift rotary bottle filling machine and thereby enable the machine to be run with less power and with: less strain and wear than heretofore -latches.

A. further object of the invention is to provide means independent of the can! for sustaining the bottle lift mechanism during the filling operation and thereby confine the function of the cam to raising and to'lower mg the bottles. And a further object of the in: vention is to provide improved means for guidin the bottle rest in itsmovement. I In the accompanying drawings illustrating my. invention Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bottle filling machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view but, for convenience showin only two filling devices and bottle lifts, one bottle being in lowered position and the'other in filling position. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 Fig. 4: is a detial'view showing the cam. Figs. 5, 6 and T! are detail views of the cam guard. Fig. 8 1s an enlarged "sectional view of one lift mechanism including the guide for the bottle rest. Fig. 9 is a detail view of one of the Fig. 10 is asectional view of the latch on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view showing the piston or plunger of the bottle lift mechanism and taken at a right angle to the section of Fig. 8. Referring to the drawings, 1 is a hollow vertical shaft supported in a stationary base 2 and carrying a frame 3 on which is mounted a liquid tank s. The tank is supplied with liquid under pressure through the supply pipe 5 which passes up through the holv low shaft and is provided with two or more branches 6 connected to the tank.

The tankhas a plurality of filling devices 7 which may be of any suitable construction such as that covered by my application Serial No. 469,434 filed December 26, 1908. I may also provide the machine I with a pressure controlling means 8 of suit able character, such as that set forth in my consisting of a collar fastened within the der.

tubular BeltlQ. In the particular construc= tion illustrated in the drawings the tubular guide is slid-ably arranged in a sleeve 14.

' end of the sleeve and a spring 17 is interosed between the bottle rest and the piston. A plurality of angular lifting levers is pivotally mounted at 18 onasupport 19 which is fastened to the hollow shaft beneath the spider 9. Each lift lever comprises a long arm 20 and a short arm 21. A

link 22 pivotally connected at its ends to the piston 12 and to the outer end of the long arm 20 of the lift lever. The short arm 21 of the lift lever carries an anti-friction roller 23 which engages a stationary cam 24 mounted on the base 2.

Heretofore the anti-friction rollers have been permitted to travel on the cam throughout the length of the cam during the entire filling operation, but my invention has for its object to save the power which has been unnecessarily expended and the consequent wear and tear of the machine in that method of operation. I provide the cam 24 with a high point 25 adjacent to the incline 25' which produces the upward travel of the lift mechanism and a high point 26 adjacent to the incline 26' and guard 27 which produces the downward travel of the lift mechanism. These points 25 and 26 are of approximately the same height and devices are provided for sustaining the lift mechanism in elevated position after it leaves the high point 25 throughout the travel around the cam until it engages the high point 26. These devices comprise a finger 28 on each of the long arms 20 and a latch 29 pivoted at- 30 in a bracket 31 fastened to the spider 9 opposite each tubular guide 11 and adapted to engage the finger. A spring 32 normally projects the latch forward (Figs. 9, 10) in position to-be engaged by the finger and yields to permit the latch to swing outward as the finger passes thereby and then presses the latch inward to engage the finger, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 8. 'llVhen the lift mechanism is operated the finger is carried up by'the high point 25 of the cam above the latch and as the lift mechanism passes beyond this high point it is released to permit the finger to rest upon the latch which thus sustains the lift mechanism in elevated position during the filling operation, and at this time theroller 23 is out of engagement with the cam. The latch is provided with :1 depending arm 33 which is adapted to engage afixed tripper 34 (Figs. 3., 8) and this tripper is located opposite the high point 26 of the cam. When the filling operation. is completed the roller 23 rides up on the high point- 26 to release the finger from engagement with the latch and at or about the same time the arm 33 of the latch engages the trippcr 34 and the latch is swung outward to clear the finger so that the lift mechanism may be lowered. While this second high point 26 mightbe dispensed with I prefer to provide it for the purpose of lifting the weight off the latch and simplifying the operation.

The machine may be driven by a motor 35 suitably mounted on a standard 36 supported from the base of the machine and driving a belt 37 which travels on the pulleys 38 mounted on a driving shaft 39 suitably journaled in hearings in the base. A shifter 40 is operated by a handle 41 to shift the belt from one pulley to the other (Fig. l). The driving shaft carries a worm 42 which meshes with a worm gear 43 on the hollow shaft and rotates the same. Any other suitable means for operating the hollow shaft may be provided. A discharge table 44 of suitable construction is located at one side of the machine to receive the filled bottles from the machine (Fig. 1). A float valve 45 operated by a float 46 is preferably arranged within the liquid tank and this valve is fully set forth in my Letters Patent No. 883,254 dated March 31, 1908.

If for any reason a latch fails to engage the lift mechanism to sustain it in the desired manner the roller of the lift mechanism will travel on the cam and the mecha nism will thus be sustained in operative position by the cam so that the filling operation may be performed in like manner as if the latch had'properly operated. For this'reason I prefer to employ the cam with the high points, as shown in the drawings.

My invention greatly reduces the power necessary for operating a cam lift bottle filling machine for the reason that it relieves the cam-of the necessity for sustaining the lift mechanisms during the filling operation, and thereby greatly promotes the cfliciency and prolongsthe life of the machine. The strain on the angle levers and the wear of the anti-friction rollers and the cam are materially reduced. .The elongated tubularguides 11 sliding in the sleeves 14 constitute tin-effective guide for the bottle lift mechanism which insures their proper position throughout .the operation of the machine.

hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a rotary bottle filling machine, the combination of a reciprocatory bottle rest, a link by which the rest is supported, a pivotally mounted lever operatively connected with said link and having a finger extending. beyond its connection with the link, a cam having an elevated portion to enga the free arm of said leyer and raise a bott e to bottle-filling position, a latch adapted to engage beneath the finger on the long arm of said lever to sustain the bottle rest in elevated position during the filling opera tion, a trippcr for releasing said l'atch after the bottle has been filled and yielding means interposed between said bottle rest and its supporting link to permit further upward movement of said lever by another elevated portion of said cam to remove the weight from said latch to permit the latch to be moved to inoperative position by said tripper.

2. In a rotary bottle filling machine, the combination of a reciprocatory bottle rest, a link by which the rest is supported, a pivot ally mounted lever comprising a short arm and a long arm operatively connected with said link and provided with a finger projeeting beyond the connection with the link,

a cam having an elevated portion to engage the short arm of said lever and raise the bottle rest to bottle filling position, a latch adapted to engage beneath the finger on the long armoi' said lever to sustain the bottle rest in elevatedposition during the filling operation, a tripper for releasing said latch after the bottle has been filled, and a spring interposed between said bottle rest and its supportinglink to permit further upward movement of said lever by another elevated portion of said cam to'remove the weight from said latch whereupon the latch is moved to inoperative position by said tripper.

FRANK C. H. STRASBURGER. W itncsses WM. F, BELT, M. A. K owa. 

